She took this question very seriously. For about two minutes—which is a very long time for her—she didn’t say a single word as she pondered the direction of my future. Then all of a sudden, her eyes got bright and a smile lit up her chocolate-colored face. “I know!” she exclaimed. “A clown!”

Kids will be kids wherever you are. Thank God for that!

There are 160 children at Noah’s Ark Children’s Ministry Uganda, where I spent three months volunteering in the fall. One hundred sixty children with parents who have either died or abandoned them. One hundred sixty children who will never know what it’s like to grow up in a conventional family with a mother and father and less than 159 siblings. One hundred sixty children who don’t get kissed good night before bed and who don’t know their real birthdays.

My heart breaks for these 160 children. While Noah’s Ark is a wonderful ministry and a better home for these kids than most other orphanages or children’s homes in Uganda, it is difficult to forge your own identity in such a big family. I have cried many times over the fact that they don’t have parents and must share caretakers. None of these kids gets to be That Person to anyone, like a beloved child is to her parents.

But I rejoice over one thing: Because of the ministry that takes place at Noah’s Ark, every single one of those children knows that he or she is a beloved child of God. They know who He is. The know how He loves them. They know that no matter how many caretakers they have, He is ultimately the One who cares for them. I have seen them worship. I have heard them pray. I have watched them learn. And I know that even though they are missing out on some things in life by not having their original families, that these children are blessed because every single one of them is That Person to God.

“God sets the lonely in families…” (Psalm 68:6)

To all who donated to Noah’s Ark at camp last summer, THANK YOU!! The extra funds were very much appreciated by the Noah’s Ark staff. To read more about my time in Uganda, visit my blog: www.nzekatie.blogspot.com.